Traditional Home Decor: The Do’s and Don’ts

Traditional home decor can bring a beautiful, timeless look to your home, but only if you get it right. One thing you don’t want to do is end up making your home look like a place straight out of the 40s, 50s, or 60s.

If you get traditional home decor wrong, your home could end up looking more like a film set than a genuine place where someone actually lives.

Here, we’ll discuss the dos and don’ts of achieving traditional home decor style so you can make your home decor last, and seriously enjoy it too.

Do Incorporate Old And New

The first thing you want to make sure you do is incorporate both old and new items. This will give your home a more timeless appearance, rather than trying to make it look like a specific era.

You don’t necessarily want to step in your home and feel like you’ve gone back in time. It should be a decor that’s all your very own!

Buy older items you like that you know will last and emphasize the traditional home decor you’re going for – they should be high quality, and you could even buy new items that simply have an old style.

Incorporate newer pieces too so that you can switch things up and create a unique look in your home.

Make sure you spread pieces out. Don’t group old items together and new items together, as this won’t look as good! Switch it up with an antique chest of drawers and a modern art work. Or an antique mirror with a modern chair.

Don’t Forget To Let Natural Light In

If you’re going for a traditional look, the last thing you want is for your home to be too dark inside – it can start to feel seriously old, which isn’t the same as traditional.

You could incorporate some custom plantation shutters for example, which are great for letting natural light in but still giving you some privacy when you want it.

Natural light is key for health and happiness!

Do Choose A Mostly Neutral Color Scheme

Neutral color schemes tend to look best with traditional decor, whether you go for whites, pastels, greys, or a mixture.

Don’t Go For Aesthetics Over Function

I always discuss with my interior design clients about their lifestyle and how they use their home BEFORE we start talking about gorgeous style.This often saves them lots of money.

No matter how stylish your home is, if it’s not functional you will just get frustrated.

Do Vintage/Antique Shop

Going vintage/antique shopping is a great way to add unique style to your home that you will want to keep forever!

Keep items original or get creative with fabric or chalk paint. Re-think how an object is used. For example, a suitcase can become a bedside table with the simple addition of some legs. Or create a lamp from a vase.

Dark furniture can look completely different when painted in a bright colour. I’ve seen fabulous old dressers given a new lease of life with bright orange or pink paint.

The great thing about chalk paint is that furniture doesn’t require sanding or priming. Perfect!